"Waco Rising" is a deeply reported, compelling look at the Waco siege, 30 years later. I devoured this book and gained a new perspective on the raid. The book includes interviews with ATF and FBI agents, Davidian survivors, and includes information from transcripts and taped calls with Koresh and other Davidians who did not survive. One of my fave nonfiction reads lately. Highly recommend.

A fast paced account of a dark time for decision making by the federal government that reads like a made for television drama!

It’s been 29 years since the federal government engaged in a 51-day standoff with the millennialist sect in Waco, Tex., that culminated in the deaths of 82 civilians and four agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The fiasco has been dissected ad nauseam by outsiders including journalists, religious scholars and even a congressional committee.

Kevin Cook steps in to give a strong account of the atrocities committed both within as well as outside the compound in the decision making on all parties. He does a fabulous job of pointing out the inconsistencies and misrepresentations on the governments side, and ties in how Waco (along with Ruby Ridge) can be attributed to as well as relied upon when discussing modern day militias.

What’s fascinating is how relevant these events from three decades ago foreshadowed, as well as explains, events occurring in todays political climate without being something drenched heavily in political basis. He truly brings the drama and will have you turning through the pages at a rapid pace.

While I was always aware of the gun issues and underage brides, I was shocked to learn just how young some of these poor girls were, and even the grooming that was taking place for girls as young as toddlers (being groomed) and single digit brides. The day to day life of the Davidians is as well as David Koresh himself has been meticulously researched and draws off interviews from surviving members.

This is a perfect read for people that just want to know more about the Waco tragedy, history buffs, and people that enjoy a fast paced read.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, the publishers and author for extending me an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

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Cook does a great job exploring a story that just has never received its due attention, and his tracing of the extremism that comes from Waco has never really been explored until now. He begins with looking at Vernon Wells, whose background contains childhood traumas and risky sexual behavior. What Cook makes clear is that the Branch Davidian cult that made the news was, at its base, built on the backs of vulnerable people. He does a great job mixing their stories with those of Wells. I never understood their link to guns, but the book makes it clear that the cult saw guns as an investment, put in context of the assault rifle ban. He also explores the leadership rivalry between Wells and Roden- one that involves challenges to raise the dead. Wells' sexual addiction and pedophilia shows how depraved the whole community was.

The book centers then on the raid on the compound, and the narrative includes several voices from the FBI and ATF. I think these are valuable as well, as they help us to see the events from multiple sides. I think there has been a lot of criticism and analysis of the decisions made, but until this book, not much information from the perspective of the government.

A solid primer on the Branch-Davidian sect, the stand-off, all the mistakes made on all sides, and its enduring impact on our culture.

Waco Rising is a comprehensive account of the 1993 Waco situation. For someone who would rather read about an event than try to watch hours of documentaries or listen to podcasts, this book was perfect. It covered the events day-by-day and fairly straightforwardly. Waco is still brought up frequently in American discourse but isn't something that most people under 45 or so would remember.

The book is subtitled "David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of America's Modern Militias" but the author skimped on the FBI and especially the birth of militias. The birth of militias is thrown in towards the end, mostly with nods to Timothy McVeigh and the militias that popped up during the Donald Trump administration. While I don't mind that this was brief, I expected more information on it or for it to be used as a thread throughout the book.

Overall, I think Waco Rising succeeded at being a solid account of the events and not packing too much information into one book.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Waco Rising is a fantastic and pulse pounding account of the events that occurred in Waco, Texas as David Koresh and his followers were in a standoff with both the ATF and FBI and how the standoff may have started the militia movement of today.

Overall, Kevin Cook delivers a well researched and well written account of the stand-off and shows us the people on both sides and how it influenced the events until the untimely end.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Waco Rising is a thorough deep dive into David Koresh's background and followers, leading up to the events of 1993 and the aftershocks that we continue to feel today. The book is meticulously researched and well written, and the information it imparts will equal parts fascinate and enrage. It is unflinching in describing the horrors that occurred, yet impossible to put down.

I love deep dive books, and this was no exception. It's especially jarring to read how the events back in 1993 continue to have ripple effects today, when they seem more relevant than ever.

This book was satisfyingly comprehensive and laid out what went wrong really well. I do think it could have benefited from another edit, and I feel like it elided some basic questions (how did Koresh choose his name, what happened to the defectors, Koresh's other family, etc.).